“Overall, the Obama Administration imposed 75 new major regulations from January 2009 to mid-FY 2011, with annual costs of $38 billion,” reports Heritage.

In contrast, there were only six deregulatory actions by the Obama administration saving $1.5 billion says the Heritage report....

But because regulations prevent the creation of new jobs, it hits the poor and middle class particularly hard, “while the updated cost per employee for firms with fewer than 20 employees is now $10,585 (a 36 percent difference between the costs incurred by small firms when compared with their larger counterparts),” says the SBA.

In other words, small employers take it on the chin at the rate of $3,810.60 per employee more than the big guys do.

Most Americans are all too familiar with the income, property, and sales taxes that shrink paychecks and increase the cost of most every product and service. Just as significant—although less visible—are the ever-increasing costs of regulation. Every facet of daily life, including how Americans heat their homes and light their rooms, what food they buy and how they cook it, the toys that occupy their children and the volume of their television commercials, are controlled by government’s ballooning compendium of dos and don’ts. The attendant costs of each one constitutes a “hidden tax.”

A “60 minutes” report earlier this month indicated that members of Congress have been trading stocks based on knowledge gained from their positions, a practice that does not violate the law.
Before the report, a House bill that would outlaw the practice only had nine co-sponsors. In the week following the “60 Minutes” segment, that number jumped to 92. Of the 83 additions, 19 are facing competitive reelection races as defined by the Cook Political Report.

With enthusiastic campaign organizations in both early voting states, Paul appears poised to make a strong second-place showing in either contest if not an outright victory should the race's national front-runner, Mitt Romney, should falter.

Yet, political experts say that despite that strong showing and dedicated following, Paul's campaign may not get much further....

"Republican generally like his fiscal policies, but when he gets into the foreign policy stuff, that is where he parts company with the majority of Republicans," University of Iowa political science professor Timothy Hagle told The Examiner....

Here is what Gingrich said Tuesday night when the discussion turned to illegal immigrants: "I do not believe that the people of the United States are going to take people who have been here a quarter century, who have children and grandchildren, who are members of the community, who may have done something 25 years ago, separate them from their families, and expel them."

Gingrich said pretty much the same thing at a campaign event in South Carolina just last month. "There are some folks who have been here 20 or 25 years," he said. "They have paid taxes, they live in the community, they're married, they've got three kids, two grandkids, and they go to your local church. We are not going to deport them."

...The ironic thing is, Gingrich and his aides saw it coming. "In August, we had a conversation among the staff that this position was likely to draw criticism," recalls Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond. "He reassured us that if we are actually going to solve this problem, we have to do it this way. We are going to campaign like we are going to govern."

Far from being a slip, or a gaffe, Gingrich's statement was a gamble that he can win GOP votes even with a nuanced position on immigration. With his new lead in the polls, the stakes are higher than he could have predicted.

Two weeks ago we reported the Obama administration was pushed through a small-pox vaccine costing $433-million dollars of taxpayer money even though there is doubt about whether the vaccine would work. There is also doubt whether the vaccine is necessary since WHO certified the eradication of smallpox in 1979 thanks to the work of the existing vaccine.

That didn't stop the Obama administration from awarding the contract for a new vaccine on a no-bid basis, to Siga Technologies Inc., whose controlling shareholder is billionaire Ronald O. Perelman, one of the world's richest men and a longtime Democratic Party donor and the guy who gave $50,000 to help fund Obama's inaugural bash. Perelman is most famous for his ownership of Revlon (he also almost killed Marvel Comics).

Message from C4P: What we do next after the television ad goes up is a more difficult question. If this ad is able to build some momentum for the Governor, the best way to keep that momentum going may be to commission a national GOP primary poll that includes the Governor as one of the options. We’ll see if it’s possible given our resources. We’re open to other ideas but the greatest challenge may be that time is running short for her to reconsider.

She has displayed uncharacteristic boldness in recent weeks, forcing European bankers to accept big losses on their loans to Greece and successfully facing down critics within her unstable governing coalition.

For the past week Tahrir Square has seen mass protests and violent clashes between regime forces and pro-democracy campaigners demanding an end to trial by military tribunal and a faster transition to civilian rule.

On Thursday, French television reporter Caroline Sinz from the state network France 3 was subjected to a violent sexual assualt by a gang of young men and boys and her cameraman was beaten as they tried to cover the revolt....

The attacks came shortly after Egyptian-American journalist Mona Eltahawy reported that she had been the victim of a grotesque sexual assault by police after she was arrested during the protests.

Both cases recalled the February 11 sexual assault on South African CBS correspondent Lara Logan, who was seized by a mob as she worked in the square.

Several other women, both Egyptian and foreign, have complained of sexual aggression from both protesters and security forces.

According to a study carried out in 2008 by the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights, more than 80% of Egyptian women suffer sexual assault or harrassment ranging from remarks to leering, half of them on daily basis.

As we get nearer to Election Day, Americans on both sides of the political aisle must be wondering if the media will have any limits concerning what is an acceptable attack on one of President Obama's opponents.

NBC apologized to Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) for the offensive song that was played as she walked onto the stage to be a guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Monday.

Unfortunately, as Bachmann told radio’s Steve Malzberg guest-hosting for Jeff Bolton on KLIF in Texas Friday, that apology came from a vice president of programming and not NBC’s president (video follows with transcribed highlights and commentary):

Bachmann also commented to Malzberg about claims made by Fallon’s bandleader concerning the incident:

BACHMANN: The thing that was disingenuous is that the band was, the comment from the band is that it was a spontaneous act. Clearly it wasn’t. It was premeditated. He had tweeted twice before the show what his intentions were. And his Twitter account is 1.7 million people. So, it’s just, again, it comes down to the fact that if a Don Imus or someone does something that’s questionable, they’re thrown off the air. But when something is done to a conservative, it’s just passed off and forgotten. And I think that that’s really the difference. I’m a serious candidate for the presidency of the United States, but I’m a conservative Republican woman. That’s the double standard.

Bachmann then responded to Whoopi Goldberg for calling her a “bonehead” on Tuesday’s The View:

BACHMANN: I think this is the same pattern of what we saw happen on NBC. I’m a self-made person. I came from below poverty. I worked my way through college, through law school, through a post-doctorate program in federal tax law. I worked for years as a federal tax court attorney. I created my own business. It’s a profitable company, and I employ scores of people. I have raised 23 foster children in addition to my own biological five children. And I’ve started together with my husband and some other parents the first K-12 charter school in the United States of America. I served in the Minnesota state senate. I served as a member of the United States Congress, and now I’m running for the presidency of the United States.

I think those comments that came from Whoopi Goldberg are demeaning to a serious candidate running for the presidency on the Republican ticket, as a woman, the first serious female candidate who’s gotten this far. And I’m the only candidate that’s won an election in this presidential race statewide which is the Iowa Straw Poll. So I think again this is another example of the Hollywood elite bias coming from Whoopi Goldberg. I think it’s clearly unacceptable. Again, I think if she would have said that about Michele Obama, I think there would be very serious consequences from the network. But apparently, because of the conservative woman, they can get away with it.

“Any work we have done in the past is done on the back of the research grants we get – and has to be well hidden,” Jones writes in another newly released email. “I’ve discussed this with the main funder (U.S. Dept of Energy) in the past and they are happy about not releasing the original station data.”

The original Climategate emails contained similar evidence of destroying information and data that the public would naturally assume would be available according to freedom of information principles.

Occupy Wall Street-inspired protesters are eyeing a new target -- Target. And dozens of other companies.

A campaign under the name "Occupy Black Friday" is trying to enlist supporters to boycott just about every major retailer, and quite a few mid-sized ones, the day after Thanksgiving. The protesters are casting a wide net, urging people to demonstrate against the top retail stores -- a list that includes everything from Wal-Mart to Target to Dick's Sporting Goods to Dollar Tree.

Liberate Philadelphia/Liberate America, a Tea Party coalition of groups countering the "Occupy Wall Street" movement, are challenging the latest move by Occupy Wall Street protesters to occupy or boycott publicly traded retailers on Black Friday by instead encouraging consumers to shop on Black Friday to help the economy recover.

Thune's endorsement comes days after Romney announced the endorsement of two prominent New Hampshire lawmakers: Rep. Charlie Bass and Sen. Kelly Ayotte, both Republicans. But in campaigning in the Hawkeye State, Romney is signaling a recommitment to the first-in-the-nation caucus. So far, Romney has been reluctant to devote time and money in the state, skipping prominent conservative events in the state. Romney lost the caucuses in 2008 despite spending heavily there.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

“Perhaps no custom reveals our character as a Nation so clearly as our celebration of Thanksgiving Day. Rooted deeply in our Judeo-Christian heritage, the practice of offering thanksgiving underscores our unshakable belief in God as the foundation of our Nation and our firm reliance upon Him from Whom all blessings flow.”
President Ronald Reagan, Thanksgiving Day, 1986

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Tomorrow Americans will come together with loved ones to share a meal and give thanks for all of our blessings.

As we gather to celebrate, let us remember the many previous generations who worked to make America the greatest and freest nation the world has ever known.

Let us also remember our men and women in uniform and their families for their sacrifices during this holiday season. To those who have served and are serving now, thank you for all that you are doing to defend our freedoms and keep our great nation safe.

From my family to yours, may you have a very Happy Thanksgiving. John Boehner

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Celebrating Thanksgiving with family and friends

On behalf of the entire Bachmann family, I would like to wish you & your family a happy Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful day for families & friends to come together & be grateful for bountiful opportunities and lives we have been blessed with. This Thanksgiving I am thankful for the magnificent nation that we call home- The United States of America.

We have so much to be thankful for & I look forward to the many more blessings God has in store for us. Wishing you & yours a blessed day. Michele Bachmann

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College Republican National Committee
Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving from the CRNC to you!

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Tennessee College Republican Committee

We hope you and your family have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving! Click SHARE if you have a lot to be thankful for.

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N.C. 7th Congressional District Republican Party
I hope you all have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!
- Frank Williams, 7th District Chairman

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Plant City Republican Women Federated
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your friends and family. Never forget those who paved the way for us to be able to celebrate this day. Let us give thanks.

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I wanted to take a moment to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving! As we gather together to celebrate this holiday, let us reserve a special thanks for the men and women serving away from home to protect our freedom and security. Eric Cantor

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Republican Party of Wisconsin
The Republican Party of Wisconsin would like to wish you a very happy Thanksgiving!

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California Republican Party (CRP)
Thanksgiving provides us with another reason to smile and another reason to be grateful. The CRP wishes you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving!

The signatures were collected by Republican activists, aided by donations totaling $2.5 million. As of late afternoon Wednesday, nearly 700,000 signatures had been reported to the secretary of state, with some counties yet to turn in their numbers.

Also Wednesday, a separate group of Republicans, including former Rep. George Radanovich, filed suit in federal court, alleging that the commission’s congressional district maps violate the U.S. Constitution and the federal Voting Rights Act.

The case, filed in the Central District of California, “provides irrefutable evidence” that the commission “intentionally ignored federal law” in drawing the new districts, Radanovich said in a statement announcing the suit.

According to a CNN/ORC International Poll released Wednesday, 44% of Americans say they approve of the job the president's doing in the White House, with 54% saying they disapprove of how Obama is handling his duties.

But the poll indicates that there has been some change when Democrats are asked whether they want to see their party renominate Obama, with 26% of Democrats saying that they would prefer the party to nominate another Democrat for president next year, up from 18% in October....

But what was arguably most interesting about the study is that it revealed Generation Y — ages 18 to 34 — are actually the most likely to think highly of major companies. That might be yet one more statistic that helps to correct the popular misperception that Occupy Wall Street consists of mainly spoiled adolescents. As more information about the demographics of OWS has come out, it’s become increasingly evident that the original hippies are still the hippies. According to data from Fast Company, about 44.5 percent of the protesters are aged 25 to 44 and another 32 percent are older than 44. Just 23.5 percent of the protesters are 25 and under....

Bottom line: Young people believe in the promise, as well as the peril, of business — and that right there might be the best reason to believe in young people.

The heaviest financial burden has fallen upon law enforcement agencies tasked with monitoring marches and evicting protesters from outdoor camps. And the steepest costs by far piled up in New York City and Oakland, Calif., where police clashed with protesters on several occasions.

The AP gathered figures from government agencies in 18 cities with active protests and focused on costs through Nov. 15, the day protesters were evicted from New York City's Zuccotti Park, where the protests began Sept. 17 before spreading nationwide. The survey did not attempt to tally the price of all protests but provides a glimpse of costs to cities large and small....

The spending comes as cash-strapped police departments have cut overtime budgets, travel and training to respond to the recession. Nonetheless, city officials say they have no choice but to bring in extra officers or hold officers past their shifts to handle gatherings and marches in a way that protects free speech rights and public safety. In some cities, officials say the spending is eating into their overtime budgets and leaving less money for other public services.

The Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday downgraded its estimate of the benefits of President Obama’s 2009 stimulus package, saying it may have sustained as few as 700,000 jobs at its peak last year and that over the long run it will actually be a net drag on the economy.

CBO said that while the Recovery Act boosted the economy in the short run, the extra debt that the stimulus piled up “crowds out” private investment and “will reduce output slightly in the long run — by between 0 and 0.2 percent after 2016.”

The analysis confirms what CBO predicted before the stimulus passed in February 2009, though the top-end decline of two tenths of a percent is actually deeper than the agency predicted back then.

"Today’s decisions should be based on all the information we can get, not on hiding the decline"

Excerpts from the emails posted on climate skeptic websites are certainly eye-opening:

{1939} Thorne/MetO: Observations do not show rising temperatures throughout the tropical troposphere unless you accept one single study and approach and discount a wealth of others. This is just downright dangerous. We need to communicate the uncertainty and be honest.

{3066} Thorne: I also think the science is being manipulated to put a political spin on it, which for all our sakes might not be too clever in the long run.

{4755} Overpeck: The trick may be to decide on the main message and use that to guid[e] what’s included and what is left out.

The leak comes less than a week before the latest United Nations meeting intended to control carbon emissions and monitor the world's climate -- a fact underscored in a document that accompanied the leaked emails.

"Today’s decisions should be based on all the information we can get, not on hiding the decline," the anonymous document states, a reference to a comment from the first batch of emails that became a rallying point for climate skeptics.

And, of course, we know why. ABC, CBS, and NBC are dishonest brokers of information. The left-wing narrative affects their world view and skews their news. They look at a tea party demonstration of ten thousand and spot one racist and declare him a representative element of an essentially radical movement. They look at 750 Occupy protesters, see 700 slobs, thugs, and anti-semites, and declare them an anomalous sideshow of a mainstream uprising. Sometimes they actually lie — by commission or omission — but just as often, I think, they simply see what they expect to see and are incapable of seeing or reporting anything else. (To see more clearly they would have to hire someone perhaps a little bit less biased than, say, Chelsea Clinton.)

They don’t interview thoughtful, polite, well-informed, and insightful conservatives like VDH and Jonah Goldberg because that’s not what a conservative looks like to them. No southern accents? No bad grammar, no angry displays or signs of bigotry? Sharp minds capable of vivisecting the left’s make-believe world and absurd worldview? I mean, dude, what’s up with that?

Which leads me to what I consider the central riddle of the right. Why don’t we make more attempts to seize the mainstream back from the dishonest left?

Republican presidential candidates take on national defense, the economy, international relations and terrorism issues in the CNN Republican National Security Debate in Washington, moderated by Wolf Blitzer at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday on CNN, the CNN mobile apps and CNN.com/Live.

The candidates share the stage at DAR Constitution Hall, just down the street from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. CNN is teaming up with leading Republican-leaning think tanks Heritage Foundation and American Enterprise Institute to host a debate that focuses heavily on national security and foreign policy issues, but which will also include top economic concerns, including the failure of the congressional super committee to find agreement to cut $1.2 trillion from the country's long-term debt.

The debate is the 11th major showdown between the Republican candidates and the first in 10 days.

It's also the first in which former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is firmly among the front-runners in national surveys, deadlocked with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for the top spot in the nomination race.

The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and the Heritage Foundation, two conservative think tanks that are co-sponsoring the debate with CNN, will appear front and center by asking many of the questions during the debate that will be moderated by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer at the historic 2800 capacity Daughters of the Revolution Constitution Hall. But can the two think tanks divorce themselves from the candidates they are tied to in order to produce an impartial debate?

Judge St. Eve said she was sending a message that dishonesty in government does not pay, and that the endemic corruption in Illinois must stop. Blagojevich's Republican predecessor George Ryan was also imprisoned for corruption. Blagojevich will be sentenced on 18 corruption counts December 6, which included attempts to sell Obama's vacant Senate seat.

St. Eve said Rezko was a private citizen who wielded enormous power during Blagojevich's abbreviated two terms in office through campaign donations and favors, and he and other corrupt officials helped engineer a scheme that netted nearly $10 million in bribes.

The scheme involved state boards in charge of approving new hospitals and oversight of the Teachers' Retirement System, a multibillion-dollar pension fund. Rezko and his cohorts extorted bribes from companies seeking to invest the funds.

Rezko voluntarily went to prison in 2008 when he was found guilty on 16 of 24 counts of corruption charges related to money laundering and plotting to skim money from companies trying to do business with Blagojevich.

Rezko's association with Obama became an issue during his run for the White House. Then-Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Obama's top rival in that race, accused Obama of "practicing law and representing your contributor, Rezko, in his slum landlord business in inner-city Chicago."

A former Illinois bank official, now claiming whistleblower status, says bank officials replaced a loan reappraisal that he prepared for a Chicago property that was purchased by the wife of now-convicted felon Tony Rezko, part of which was later sold to next-door neighbor Barack Obama.

In a complaint filed Thursday in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Kenneth J. Connor said that his reappraisal of Rita Rezko’s property was replaced with a higher one and that he was fired when he questioned the document....

Critics of Mr. Obama’s dealings with Rezko charge that the senator may have gotten a deal on his property purchase, noting that Mrs. Rezko paid the full asking price for her property on an adjacent lot. Both of which were sold by a single seller. Mr. Obama bought his house for $1.65 million - $300,000 below the asking price.

When the property was sold, Mr. Obama knew Rezko was under investigation on fraud charges.

◼ The Blaze: Glenn Beck and Don Imus have the type of relationship that can’t be described, only observed. The two regularly join each other’s radio shows and what usually ensues is a cross between comedy, hilarity, and banter with some great content mixed in. This morning was no different when Beck joined Imus to discuss Beck’s latest book, “Being George Washington.”

In our times of economic difficulty, the Occupy movement, in Humboldt and across the world, has brought focus on the distribution of wealth and characterized it as a sign of immorality and unfairness. Whether this is valid or not, the Occupy movement may be a new rotation in a historical cycle of economic inequality, uprising and resolution. This article will look back on the history of economic inequality and focus on the knowledge and judgment of the historian and philosopher Will Durant. We'll attempt to look through his lens of history as we uncover the two paths that are highlighted when confronting economic inequality.

Durant explains the cause and recurring nature of inequality in “The Story of Civilization”: “Since practical ability differs from person to person, the majority of such abilities, in nearly all societies, is gathered in a minority of men. The concentration of wealth is a natural result of this concentration of ability and regularly recurs in history. The rate of concentration varies (other factors being equal) with the economic freedom permitted by morals and the laws.

“The Supercommittee’s failure is a direct result of President Obama’s negligence and Democrats’ intransigence. Over the last four months, Republicans on the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction worked around the clock to offer multiple proposals that would have broad bipartisan appeal. While Republicans were at the table negotiating in good faith, President Obama continued to prioritize campaigning over governing.

Instead of offering leadership to reduce the debt he created, he made the cold calculation that doing so was not in his best political interest. Even Senate Democrats have tough words for the President. As West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin said Sunday, ‘He's the leader of this great country. We want him to step forward.’

In addition to spending cuts and entitlement reform, Republicans on the committee also proposed achieving significant revenue increases through pro-growth tax reforms—closing loopholes and lowering rates. But that wasn’t enough for Democrats. When Republicans tried to meet them halfway, Democrats ran further to the left. They demanded higher taxes and even more stimulus spending, even though President Obama and other Democrats have acknowledged that taxes should not be raised in a recession.

While Republicans would have preferred that the process worked as intended, our Congressional leaders will ensure the deficit is reduced by the $1.2 trillion as prescribed. We remain completely dedicated to finding a solution to America’s massive debt problem.

Less than three years ago, President Obama promised to slow the growth of our debt. Instead, he has accelerated it. He and his fellow Democrats have refused to offer serious plans to achieve the dual goals of debt-reduction and economic growth. 2012 will offer voters an opportunity to elect a Republican president who will take that charge seriously.”

"The Super Committee was entrusted by the American people and by fellow Members of Congress to work together and come up with a solution to America's fiscal crisis by spending and balancing our budget and finding the means to cut 1.2 trillion dollars over the next 10 years.

The Members of the Super Committee that stepped up to the plate to complete this task promised their country they would put politics aside, and fulfill this important task. Yet, it is apparent to everyone that politics and partisanship is at the very core of this failure. Over the course of the past two months, including dozens of meetings and hearings, this Super Committee has not been able to agree on a single issue that can help move this country forward. I find it appalling that grown adults can not sit down at a table and find a way to negotiate something so important to the future of this nation.

President Barack Obama and his Administration are to blame for the anticipated failure of the Super Committee. He has stood by and done nothing to encourage bipartisanship among this committee. Instead, the President and this Administration would rather sit back and watch automatic cuts kick in that will be devastating to our military- ripping 600 billion dollars from Defense in 10 years. At a time when America's enemies are more emboldened than ever, our military needs to be supported, not shredded.

I am calling on President Obama to step up and be a leader and introduce legislation that will restore these automatic cuts to our military. We can not put our country in danger because of partisan antics. The American people are sick and tired of Washington, DC and there's good reason why. The failure of this Super Committee is an embarrassment to Congress and to the American people. I call upon Members of Congress to learn from this failure and realize that the true victims of these partisan antics and political games are the American people."

The Administration “Couldn’t Be Happier That This Is Failing” Because It Fits Into Their Campaign Narrative And They “Have Deliberately Refused” To Engage The Super Committee

"...its’ safe to say that in the absence of a real debt deal, which, of course, they would like to have, the administration couldn't be happier that this is failing because they will try to blame it all on the republicans going into the election year.” (CBS/The Early Show)

Issa’s comments about Holder’s fate, and President Barack Obama’s continued willingness to protect his scandal-plagued attorney general, come as 52 members of Congress are demanding Holder’s immediate resignation. One of those lawmakers is 2012 presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, a congresswoman from Minnesota. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has also demanded Holder step down, as has National Rifle Association president David Keene.

Those calling for Holder’s resignation believe Holder is either incompetent or dishonest. His controversial appearances on Capitol Hill have led to speculation that he misled Congress about his knowledge of Fast and Furious, and about when he first learned of the failed gun-walking program.

Obama’s refusal to hold Holder accountable for Fast and Furious — along with his administration’s continued willingness to stonewall Congressional investigators — is taking a center stage heading into the 2012 election season.

Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul has been climbing in Republican presidential primary polls in the crucial early states of Iowa and New Hampshire – a growth that campaign chairman Jesse Benton attributes to a relentless ground campaign.

“We are pairing Dr. Paul’s winning message of limited government, real spending and a balanced budget with a top notch campaign,” Benton told The Daily Caller. “Our mail, phone, TV and ground game are top notch and we will not let up.”

The results of two Bloomberg polls in those states showed Paul in second place — the same showing he made in an Iowa poll conducted by Iowa State University. Other polls, including a New Hampshire Journal poll released Friday, found Paul running in third place in New Hampshire.

Pollster John Zogby believes Paul’s strong performance in early primary states is another sign of ”a Republican Party at war within.” Zogby told TheDC, ”This is battle for the heart and soul soul of the party and it is a very high stakes game.”

The congressional “supercommittee” stumbled its way toward failure Sunday, with final staff-level discussions focusing mostly on how the panel should publicly admit that lawmakers could not meet their mandate of shaving $1.2 trillion from the federal debt.

In an interview with Wisconsin Reporter, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch said she worries about what she describes as the distractions of recall campaigns on business investment and expansion.

Kleefisch and Gov. Scott Walker, along with four Republican state senators, are targets of a massive recall campaign, led by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and the liberal political action committee United Wisconsin.

"Our governor has worked incredibly hard to make sure we have laid the framework for economic prosperity," she said. "We need certainty and stability in the financial climate of the state in order for job creators to invest.

"It's a concern of mine that ... our political differences continue to be the story. We want job creation to be the story."

Sunday, November 20, 2011

A gathering of GOP presidential candidates on Saturday was unlike any other this year, when instead of finger-pointing and slashing at one another’s records, the rivals told deeply personal tales about faith, family and failures that left half of the six participants weeping.

The Thanksgiving Family Forum, held in a Des Moines church in front of some 2,500 social and religious conservatives, was an unusually freewheeling and philosophical discussion, touching on issues of morality, liberty and personal responsibility as well as hot-button issues like abortion and same-sex marriage.

Initial exit polls suggested the Popular Party had secured between 181 and 185 seats, compared to 154 in the last legislature and that the socialists could only hope to win between 115 and 119 seats. The final results were not expected until late into Sunday night.

Patrick H. Caddell and Douglas E. Schoen argued that just as Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson decided not to pursue additional runs though they could have, Obama should do the same.

“He should abandon his candidacy for re-election in favor of a clear alternative, one capable not only of saving the Democratic Party, but more important, of governing effectively and in a way that preserves the most important of the president's accomplishments. He should step aside for the one candidate who would become, by acclamation, the nominee of the Democratic Party: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,”Caddell and Schoen wrote.

Caddell, who worked as a pollster for President Jimmy Carter, and Schoen, who was a pollster for President Bill Clinton, argue that Obama will inevitably have to run a negative campaign in order to win reelection, the negative consequences of which will make it difficult for him to govern effectively.

...While hundreds of his rebel brethren scrambled to find shelter in church basements, Dutro chose the five-star, 58-story hotel, with its lush rooms and 350-count Egyptian cotton sheets. He lives only a short taxi ride away in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn....

The rooms have 37-inch flat-screen TVs, window seats overlooking the city and iPod-dock alarm clocks. Visitors can order 12-year-old Glenlivet scotch for $375 a bottle, or an $18 pastrami sandwich, from room service. There’s even a menu for four-legged guests, including a $16 dog dish of Niman Ranch ground beef.

...Occupiers told The Post that they witnessed other General Assembly and group leaders stay in both the W Downtown and the Marriott Hotel — and said that key players were not present when cops stormed Zuccotti.

“I and many of my prayer warriors firmly believe that the Obama administration would be able to solve the serious unemployment and economic problems facing this nation if he gave praise and glory to God publicly for the blessings that he has received as president,” Twyman said.

◼ The American Enterprise Institute, in partnership with CNN and The Heritage Foundation, is pleased to announce that the Republican presidential debate on foreign policy and national security will take place on Tuesday, November 22, at 8 p.m. ET.

The national security debate, a landmark first for AEI and Heritage, was moved to November 22 to accommodate this season’s crowded debating schedule.

"We are delighted to have this opportunity to focus our national conversation on this vital topic,” said AEI President Arthur C. Brooks. “In the week that our families come together for Thanksgiving, there is no better time to remember the importance of the safety and security of the American people."

Welcome

Hi, I'm John Schutt, chairman of the Humboldt County Republican Central Committee: Want to get involved? We need republicans for open spots on the central committee, committee seats, letters to the editor writers, and more. Send me your thoughts and ideas on making Humboldt great again. Please feel free to call the office (442-2259) or leave a message here (or on Facebook) and I will get back to you as soon as possible.